Atlanta's walkable convention and entertainment district offers more than 11,800 hotel rooms, 730,000 square feet of hotel meeting space, and nearly 300 dining options within a one-mile radius of Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC). GWCC provides more than 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space, but the city's event facilities don't end there.

Unique spaces like Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart, 200 Peachtree, and top attractions like Center for Civil and Human Rights, College Football Hall of Fame, Georgia Aquarium, CNN Global Headquarters, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and World of Coca-Cola make meeting in Atlanta all about options. Atlanta Streetcar provides another easy way to traverse the city, connecting GWCC, major attractions, hotels and nightlife options with its 2.7-mile loop.

Midtown

Known as the "heart of the arts," Midtown is the seat of Atlanta's arts and cultural community. The district offers more than 4,600 hotel rooms and 198,000 square feet of hotel meeting space for small to mid-sized meetings. After breaking, attendees can enjoy extraordinary exhibits, musical performances and entertainment for all ages at award-winning venues like Alliance Theatre, Fox Theatre, High Museum of Art, and Museum of Design Atlanta.

Locals and visitors alike congregate at Piedmont Park, Atlanta's favorite green space, for festivals and concerts. This district is also home to some of the city's best restaurants, trendy boutiques and chic nightclubs.

Buckhead

Buckhead melds the fast pace of a dynamic business center with the city's most exquisite restaurants, upscale shops and exciting nightlife options to create the ultimate in luxury. The neighborhood reigns supreme when it comes to high-end accommodations, with more than 5,400 hotel rooms and 197,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza and The Shops Buckhead Atlanta provide lux shopping options that add to this neighborhood's posh profile.

Airport Area

Just minutes from the airport, visitors will find 11,200 hotel rooms at all price points and more than 250,000 square feet of hotel meeting space. Georgia International Convention Center offers another 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, two LEED-certified convention hotels and a free automated people mover that directly connects to the airport. Less than 20 minutes by car or MARTA, attendees have quick access to downtown Atlanta's convention hub.

However, the best part of Atlanta lies not in its concrete and steel, but in its people. From convention services to concierge, Atlanta's collaborative hospitality industry makes any meeting run flawlessly.

Atlanta has four distinct seasons and a temperate climate, meaning event-planning professionals have the flexibility to host both indoor and outdoor Atlanta events. Winter evenings are somewhat cold with temperatures that drop below freezing, but the daytime weather is mild enough to enjoy outdoor activities, with only an occasional snowfall in December and January. High temperatures and humidity are common in the summer months, so spring and autumn are the best times to visit the city.

Meeting Planning in Atlanta, GA

Georgia World Congress Center

The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) Authority opened in 1976, becoming the first state-owned and operated major Convention Center in the United States. The GWCC is comprised of the 3.9-million-square-foot convention center, the 71,250-seat Georgia Dome, and 21-acre Centennial Olympic Park. Ranked as one of the top 5 largest convention centers in the country, as well as one of the best entertainment and sports facilities in the world, the GWCC hosts more than a million guests annually.

In addition to the Congress Center’s central downtown Atlanta location, it is also particularly popular with meeting planners due to its sheer capacity. The Congress Center's Building B exhibit halls are approximately twice the length of Atlanta's highest skyscraper. With galleries, meeting rooms, exhibit halls, storerooms and kitchens, there are more than 3.9 million square feet of floor space in the Georgia World Congress Center. As one may guess, this is one of the largest Atlanta meeting facilities. The 33,000-square-foot Thomas Murphy Ballroom is equivalent in length to an 11-story building. At over 1,000 feet long, 80 feet wide, and over 90 feet high, the GWCC Building C entrance lobby is large enough to hold the Titanic and can accommodate almost any event space requirement.

Located at the intersection of two of Atlanta's main thoroughfares (I-285 and I-75) and adjacent to the 521-room, four-star Renaissance Waverly hotel, in addition to the 278-suite Sheraton Suites Galleria, the Cobb Galleria Centre provides planners with access to more than 3,500 sleeping rooms and 2,000 complimentary parking spaces. This nationally distinguished Atlanta meeting facility and convention center attracts more than 15,000 events each year.

With a total of 20,000 square feet of meeting space, 144,000 square feet of total exhibit space, four executive boardrooms, 20 large meeting rooms and a 25,000 square foot ballroom, the Cobb Galleria Centre has a massive capacity. The Centre covers 320,000 total square feet and provides all of the necessary services to conduct a successful meeting or event including but not limited to dedicated transportation to the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, an executive business center and full-service catering.

The Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) is Atlanta's newest and second largest facility for events, meetings, and trade shows. It is located at the gateway to the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and is only minutes away from the heart of Atlanta by car, taxi or Atlanta's transit system, MARTA. Shuttle service to and from the airport is provided by more than 32 hotels located in close proximity to the Georgia International Convention Center. The GICC is also the first convention center in the US to offer free direct transportation from the airport via an automated people over – the ATL SkyTrain.

The GICC offers more than 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, 90,000 square feet of pre-function space, and 16,000 square feet of meeting space. It is connected to two LEED-certified convention hotels - the 403-room Marriott Convention Center Hotel and the 147-room Spring Hill Suites. There are more than 8,000 hotel rooms available within the vicinity of the GICC.

Additionally, the Convention Center offers several very well thought out features such as a 2 to 1 ratio of women's to men's restrooms, a green room with heightened security and state-of-the-art bathroom/shower for VIPs, a flat roof building design that provides almost complete quiet even with the facility's close proximity to the airport and automatic lights that switch on when doors to meeting rooms open. An acclaimed caterer "Proof of the Pudding" operates the Culinary Arts Center at the Georgia International Convention Center and has the capacity to serve up to 4,000 meals at one time.

Atlanta, GA Airport Information

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

Approximate taxi fare: $33 USD

The spectacular Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is conveniently located just 10 miles from downtown Atlanta. A major connecting hub for destinations around the globe, it has held the name of busiest passenger airport in the world since 1998. Averaging more than 250,000 passengers a day, Hartsfield-Jackson serves 150 US destinations, more than 75 international destinations in 50 countries and provides non-stop service to 232 destinations worldwide.

Always growing, the airport has recently completed several projects as part of a $6-billion Capital Improvement Program. The airport now boasts a fifth runway, a new rental car center and the ATL SkyTrain people mover. Additionally, the new Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal was opened in 2012.

Atlanta, GA Train Information

Peachtree Station (Brookwood Station)-Atlanta's Amtrak

Located in the heart of the city, the historic Peachtree Rail Station dates back to 1918 and was designed by Neel Reid, one of Atlanta's leading architects. Following the 1996 Olympics, Peachtree Station underwent an extreme facelift totaling over $1.5 million dollars which left it grander than ever. Its classic wooden benches, marble floors and vaulted ceilings continue to allure not only travelers but also architectural enthusiasts.

Amtrak's Crescent train runs daily, serving New Orleans, Birmingham, Charlotte, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. Both the station and ticketing office are open Monday-Sunday from 7:00 am to 9:30 pm.

A new Amtrak station has been proposed by the City of Atlanta. In November of 2011, the Georgia Department of Transportation signed a $12.2M contract to develop plans for the new station which is intended to serve as a central hub for the city's proposed commuter rail lines, Amtrak, city buses and MARTA.

Atlanta, GA Ground Transportation

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Authority (MARTA)

Providing service to Atlanta metro area for more than 35 years, MARTA is the city's chief rapid-transit system and the eighth largest system in the U.S. by ridership. As of 2013, on an average weekday, an estimated 415,600 people travel on MARTA. The MARTA transit system includes 38 rail stations and over 120 bus routes that primarily service Downtown, Midtown, Buckhead, Decatur and the Perimeter, as well as many other popular destinations.

Whether traveling to a Brave's Baseball Game, trying to catch a plane at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport or simply looking for a true "designated driver" night out on the town, "MARTA is SMARTA," as you may hear Atlantans saying. A one-way paratransit ticket will only cost travelers $4. Weekly passes can be purchased for $23.75 and weekend passes for $16.

Atlanta Street Cars

Introducing one of the newest forms of public transportation in the city, the Atlanta Streetcar provides visitors with a convenient way to explore popular Atlanta destinations, as well as serves as a last mile connector to MARTA and other city transportation services. This modern form of transportation is an individual temperature controlled vehicle that is powered by a single overhead wire. The first route, the 2.7 mile East-West Route which offers 12 stops across the historic Sweet Auburn District, Georgia State University, downtown Atlanta and Centennial Olympic Park, opened to travelers in early 2015 with trial runs starting in late 2014. Service is available 7 days a week from 5am to 11pm on weekdays, 8:30 am to 11pm Saturdays, and 9am to 10:30 pm Sundays.

Atlanta Checker Cab

Recognized as the best cab company in Atlanta by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and praised by the Secretary of State, as well as Governor of Georgia, the Atlanta Checker Cab Company has been serving the transportation needs of the metro Atlanta area for more than 30 years. The cab company not only provides traditional passenger transportation services, but it also offers package delivery and corporate accounts. Atlanta Checker Cab Company accepts all major credit cards.